The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today expressed solidarity with the Italian Muslim community after new discriminatory measures designed to target Muslims were approved by the Italian government.
SEE: Who gets to be Italian? The rise and rise of Islamophobia in Italy
Italy’s conservative government approved a decree banning burqas and niqabs – attire worn by a tiny minority of Muslims – in schools and putting a limit on the number of students with a poor command of the Italian language in each classroom.
In a statement, Washington, D.C.-based CAIR said:
“The Italian government’s decision to ban religious face-coverings in schools and restrict Muslim and immigrant children under the pretext of ‘integration’ is an obvious attempt to target and marginalize the Muslim community. True integration is built on mutual respect and inclusion, not by codifying xenophobia, policing Muslim women’s clothing, or stigmatizing minority communities.
“Governments should focus on providing adequate language resources and supportive educational environments rather than enacting authoritarian restrictions that isolate vulnerable youth and penalize parents.”
CAIR recently condemned a ruling by Finland’s Supreme Court upholding the police’s lawful authority to use physical force to forcibly remove Muslim women’s hijabs (Islamic head scarves).
CAIR has previously spoken out against discriminatory bans on Islamic attire across Europe, advocating for the rights of religious minorities to wear attire aligned with their faith without facing retaliation.
Earlier this month, CAIR called on the U.S. Department of State to condemn the dismissal of a Muslim special education teacher in East Flanders, Belgium, who was fired after refusing to comply with a provincial ban on religious symbols in schools.
CAIR also condemned Austria’s newly implemented ban on Islamic headscarves, or hijab, for students under 14 as a “fascist and bigoted” step backward for religious rights in Europe.
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CONTACT: CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, [email protected]; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, [email protected]; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, [email protected]; CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, [email protected]